Joint Center Speaks on Future of Work Panel

Joint Center Speaks on Future of Work Panel

On Tuesday, October 24, Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined the National Urban League for their panel on "Future of Work: The Impact of the Tech Revolution on People of Color."

Other panelists included Lyft Policy Partnerships Manager Olivia Brown, National Urban League Workforce Development Vice President Ron Marlow, and Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation Chair & CEO Lisa R. Ransom. Urban League VP Don Cravins moderated the session. The panel evaluated solutions to ensure communities of color are prepared for automation and other changes in the economy.

Spencer lifted up highlights from the Joint Center and National Urban League's working policy brief on Black jobs that run the highest risk for being lost to automation. The brief, which is being jointly authored by the two organizations, finds that 31 percent of Latino workers, 27 percent of African American workers, 24 percent of White workers, and 20 percent of Asian American workers are concentrated in just 30 occupations at high risk to automation (drivers, cashiers, security guards, and more). Compared to White workers, African American workers are almost four times more likely to be taxi drivers and chauffeurs, over three times more likely to be bus drivers, and over three times more likely to be security guards. The policy brief also provides initial steps that community, government, and private sector leaders can take to successfully transition African American workers to the new economy. The final policy brief will be released in early 2018.

Read the Joint Center's September 2017 data brief on the top 20 Black jobs at risk of automation and the top 20 jobs at low-risk to automation here.